Open cast mine Hambach: in-court settlement failed

In the trial about the lignite mine Hambach on Tuesday (Nov. 21th,2017) a settlement failed. The Verwaltungsgericht (Administrative Court) of Cologne had proposed to continue the open pit without felling the forest. The judges expected a coal exit in the foreseeable future.

RWE and a representative of the Land North Rhine-Westphalia stated that this would not be feasible. The BUND as plaintiff, however, supported the settlement. Another proposal by the court, to postpone the extraction limits of the opencast mine and to save the forest from digging, was rejected. By contrast, the BUND (Federation of Environment and Nature Conservation Germany) as a plaintiff could imagine a settlement in which the old Hambach Forest would be left out. Until Friday (24.11.2017) there will now be a judgment.

Protests outside the courthouse

On Tuesday morning, about 100 opponents and supporters of the opencast mine demonstrated before the start of the trial in front of the Cologne administrative court. Several environmental groups had announced protests for the preservation of the Hambach forest.

Between 2020 and 2030 almost all trees are to be cut, in order to advance the open-pit mine as planned shortly before the village of Buir. “Then we’ll look directly into a 440 meter deep hole, where almost the entire city of Cologne fits in and that is so unimaginable crazy, well that’s just terrible,” a 50-year-old man says. With his citizens’ group “Buirers for Buir”, Andreas Büttgen supports two new claims of the BUND. He wants to save the Hambach Forest and thus stop the open pit.

The mood is tense. If RWE wants to enforce the planned clearing, they would have to destroy most tree houses. At the same time we are more than ever, louder than ever and more diverse than ever. This is our chance to prevent the clear-cutting, and thus set a clear sign against lignite mining and exploitation and for climate justice and non-hierarchical resistance. We have to be many for that!
To be informed in case of eviction register on our SMS alert list and stay up to date by means of the blog. But what to do when the SMS arrives? This text helps to prepare you for eviction in the Hambach Forest, so that we can prevent it together!
For almost all options, it is helpful to have an affinity group. It would be ideal if you organize yourself in your city with people to support the forest occupation together. There are already many groups working on climate justice, such as the local groups of Ende Gelände.

Already in 2004, the Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) published a background paper on the report: “Lignite – a subsidy-free energy source?”, written by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. Central statement: “Overall, according to the calculations of the Wuppertal Institute, lignite benefits amount to at least 4.5 billion euros annually.”
See https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/publikation/long/3572.pdf
The more environmentally friendly gas power plants (they produce only half as much carbon dioxide per kilowatt) are not supported and are therefore often out of service. The support of renewables has meanwhile been reversed.

Already in 2004, the Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) published a background paper on the report: “Lignite – a subsidy-free energy source?”, written by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. Central statement: “Overall, according to the calculations of the Wuppertal Institute, the preferential treatment of the lignite amounts to at least 4.5 billion euros annually.”
See https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/publikation/long/3572.pdf
The more environmentally friendly and flexible gas power plants (they produce only half as much carbon dioxide per kilowatt) are not supported and are therefore often out of service. The support of renewables has meanwhile been reversed.

Hello dear folks. Maybe some of you know the WAA. The WAA is an Open Project Space in Düren-Gürzenich, not far from the Hambach Forest. (See http://waa.blogsport.de/english/. Will be opened in a new tab.) It was founded in 2011 and from there the Hambach Forest was occupied for the first time. Since then, it has provided an important support structure for activists in the Hambach Forest. But the WAA faces bigger money problems. For the project to exist at least 4000 € are needed until the end of the clearing season. We are grateful for every little contribution to keep this wonderful project alive.

Particular attention should be paid to the passage where Mr Steffen of RWE indicates as a reason for further clearing of the Hambach Forest that it is simply in the way:
“We are going to continue to log this season as well, it is inevitable. We have to do it because the forest is in the way of the excavators,” he explains.

That this is the philosophy of RWE – to destroy everything that is in the way without any consideration – it seems that they no longer intend to deny it.

The only question is how such people behave in traffic.
Yes, I could have avoided it. But the child, which ran in front of my car, was in the way.

We do not carry out the wishes of the police. But not accepting this invitation really would be a shame. React with your experiences with the police. If you like, also to us: hambacherforst@nullriseup.net

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